My thoughts on this, from the Holy Father –
“No one is scandalized if I give a blessing to an entrepreneur who perhaps exploits people: and this is a very serious sin,” the Holy Father said. “Whereas they are scandalized if I give it to a homosexual … This is hypocrisy!”
True, but false.
If we believe that sinners need the grace of God in order to change their/our lives, then we can’t shout “Repent, repent, repent!” and then say “You can’t receive a blessing from a priest!” How do we expect people to change without what may be their only interaction with a grace that flows through the Church, via her ministers? There is also the question of what th person is seeking a blessing for and whether they are approaching in good faith and intention. But that’s another story. My point is that all sinners need grace in order to change. The grace from a blessing is, in many cases, the only opportunity some sinners have to receive a direct and personal encounter with grace, short of going to confession, which not everyone is ready for yet. They need grace to get them there.
On the other hand, I do believe these blessings could be scandalous. First, these are not supposed to be blessings of couples, or unions, but blessings of individuals. That could still be misunderstood by ordinary Catholics, and could render the blessing scandalous to the faithful. An additional concern is that some priests may not adhere to guidelines, and may implicitly or explicitly bless the couple/union. That risk is real, and is truly scandalous.
Are these blessings scandalous? They can be. Scandal has nothing to do with the substance of the object, and has everything to do with the understanding and reasonable perception of the faithful. And it’s clear that many are misunderstanding what Fiducia Supplicans authorizes. But it NEEDN’T be scandalous, if average people (Catholic or not) understood the document, and if every priest adhered strictly to its guidelines.
